Max selected for European Swimming Championships

Max Litchfield.

Published:12:00Saturday 16 August 2014

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After making his Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow Badsworth swimmer Max Litchfield is now bound for Germany after being chosen for the Great Britain team for the European Championships in Berlin from August 18 to 24.

Litchfield, 19, will join the likes of Commonwealth Games heroes Ross Murdoch, Jazz Carlin, Fran Halsall, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Sophie Taylor, Adam Peaty, Ben Proud and Chris Walker-Hebborn in a strong squad aiming to bring back more medals after a successful week in Glasgow.

GB head coach Bill Furniss described the Glasgow tally for home nation swimmers as representing “a significant step forward for the sport”, but admitted it was going to be difficult to follow on quickly with the European Championships.

He said: “It will be a smaller team with a mix of juniors and seniors and we will use it as a development meet where we will try some new strategies.

“There is no doubt that the effort and professionalism we have just witnessed in Glasgow will be of the same, very high standard, but the challenge will be to see if we can bounce from one competition to another and keep that quality of performance. That will be a challenge.”

Litchfield was disappointed with his performance in the Commonwealth Games although it was his first major senior international meet.

He could only finish sixth in his heat in the 400m individual medley and was third in his heat in the 1500m freestyle, missing out on his target to reach a final in both events.

Max did, however, help the England team into the final of the 4x200m freestyle relay when he swam in the heats.

His ‘taper’ for the Games did not work out for him as it was planned and he is now looking at a busy end of season schedule, straight into the British National Championships at Ponds Forge then onto Berlin for the European Championships.

Max said: “It’s all a fantastic experience for me and will give me a great foundation to work from to help me towards my main goal of selection for Rio in 2016.”